Frequently Asked Questions 2010

Eligibility/Registration Process 

1. What organizations are involved in conducting this program?
2. Who is ModernThink LLC?
3. After I register my company to participate, what happens next and when?
4. Which companies are eligible to participate?
5. If our company participated last year, are we automatically included in this year's program?
6. Our parent company is located outside of Colorado.  Are we still eligible to participate?
7. We have several companies operating in Colorado under one parent holding company. Each company has its own EIN number and each has its own set of benefits and working environments. Do I need to register each company?
8. We have several offices/facilities in the state of Colorado that operate using the same EIN number and same set of employee benefits and procedures. Should I register each company separately?
9. We are a personnel placement company with associates who are technically our employees, but they work for other companies.  Are we still eligible to participate?
10. What is the cost to participate?
11. Should the participation fee be submitted with our registration?

Survey Process

1. How will my company be notified throughout the survey process? Will I receive regular updates?
2. How long will it take to complete the ModernThink Infrastructure and Practices Inventory^© (IPI)?  Will this require a lot of research?
3. How long will it take for our employees to complete the survey?
4. Can my company see the employee survey before we sign up to participate?
5. Can the job role and department demographics on the employee survey be customized to more closely align with our organization?
6. Do employee surveys go to everyone?
7. Our company has employees in many states.  Will the employee survey apply to those who are out of state?
8. We have more than 250 associates to be surveyed.  Who decides which employees will receive the survey and how they are distributed? Do we have to give you a list of who is being surveyed?
9. What if we want to survey more employees than the required random sample?
10. How does the online survey process work?
11. Not all of our employees have email addresses.  Can we still utilize the online survey?
12. How does the paper survey process work?
13. Is there a minimum response rate?
14. How does our company ensure an adequate response rate?
15. How does ModernThink protect the confidentiality of the survey data?
16. What reports do we receive for participating in the program and when will we receive them?
17. What other reports and services are available?
18. Who can I contact with additional questions about the program and survey process?

 Recognition

1. When will we find out if our company made the list and where we rank?
2. Are all participating companies ranked in the final list?
3. How will participating companies be recognized?
4. How do we become a sponsor for this program?

1.  What organizations are involved in conducting this program?

The SHRM Colorado State Council (COSHRM) is the primary sponsor of this initiative in conjunction with the six local SHRM state chapters: Boulder Area Human Resource Association (BAHRA), Colorado Human Resource Association (CHRA), Colorado Springs Society of Human Resource Management (CSSHRM), High Country Human Resource Association (HCHRA), Northern Colorado Human Resource Association (NCHRA), and Western Colorado Human Resource Association (WCHRA). 

The SHRM Colorado State Council has partnered with ModernThink to manage the project and conduct the survey process.  ColoradoBiz Magazine and Jobing.com are the program’s valued media partners.

2.  Who is ModernThink LLC?

ModernThink LLC is a research and consulting firm with expert knowledge in organizational culture and employee surveys. They have been COSHRM’s research partner on this project for the past three years. ModernThink has extensive experience in conducting workplace assessments and has been the research partner in over 20 state/regional Best Place to Work programs. ModernThink will manage all aspects of the survey process including the analysis, rankings and report generation. Learn more about ModernThink at http://www.modernthink.com.

3.  After I register my company to participate, what happens next and when?

Please refer to the Timeline for a detailed list of important dates and deadlines for the program. All registered companies will be notified of upcoming deadlines.

4.  Which companies are eligible to participate?

To be eligible for consideration, companies must meet the following criteria:

• Be a for-profit business, not-for-profit business or government entity 
• Have a facility in the state of Colorado
• Have a minimum of 25 full time employees in the state of Colorado
• Must be in business a minimum of one (1) year

5.  If our company participated last year, are we automatically included in this year's program?

No, you must register again each year.  All of last year's participants will be notified immediately when the program registration period opens.

6.  Our parent company is located outside of Colorado.  Are we still eligible to participate?

As long as you employ at least 25 full-time employees in Colorado, you are eligible.

7.  We have several companies operating in Colorado under one parent holding company. Each company has its own EIN number and each has its own set of benefits and working environments. Do I need to register each company?

Yes. Since each company is its own entity with its own benefits and working environment, we will treat each company as a separate employer and send each location a separate set of surveys, etc. Each subsidiary company must have at least 25 full-time employees to be eligible.

8.  We have several offices/facilities in the state of Colorado that operate using the same EIN number and same set of employee benefits and procedures. Should I register each company separately?

No. If you are one company with multiple locations, facilities, factories, stores, etc., you should submit only one registration for all locations. We will then conduct a survey of employees that are randomly selected from the various business units that you operate in Colorado, up to a total of 400 employees.

9.  We are a personnel placement company with associates who are technically our employees, but they work for other companies.  Are we still eligible to participate?

Yes. However only those "in-house" employees will be counted and surveyed. The employees who are "placed" with other companies are not counted and will not be surveyed. There must be a minimum of 25 "in-house" employees to be eligible. Your registration fee would be based on the total number of in-house employees.

10.  What is the cost to participate?

The cost to participate in the program is based on the number of employees and the survey administration method (online or paper). See Applicant Information.

11.  Should the participation fee be submitted with our registration?

No. ModernThink will invoice you for the participation fee after you register and it is determined that your company meets all the eligibility requirements.

Survey Process

12.  How will my company be notified throughout the survey process? Will I receive regular updates?

Yes, you will receive periodic updates regarding the survey timeline. However, we recommend that your company notes the dates that we send to you in your calendars for easy reference. It is important that you read all instructions and details sent to you from ModernThink.

13.  How long will it take to complete the ModernThink Infrastructure and Practices Inventory^© (IPI)?  Will this require a lot of research?

The employer questionnaire will take between 8-10 hours to complete, depending upon how easy it is to retrieve your company's information regarding company policies, practices and demographics. Some research may be necessary. The IPI is completed online, and can be saved intermittently before your final submission. If you are a previous participant in this program, and would like a copy of your IPI from last year, please email coloradobest@modernthink.com and we will email you a copy of your previous submission.

14.  How long will it take for our employees to complete the survey?

It should take approximately 10-15 minutes for each employee to complete the employee survey.

15.  Can my company see the employee survey before we sign up to participate?

Yes, please call ModernThink directly for a copy of the survey at 888.684.4658.

16.  Can the job role and department demographics on the employee survey be customized to more closely align with our organization?

Yes, for a fee, the job role and department demographic categories can be customized. Please call ModernThink for more information or select the “Customization” option on the registration form, a ModernThink team member will then contact you with more information.

17.  Do employee surveys go to everyone?

If you have 250 or fewer employees in your company, then the answer is YES!  If you employ more than 250 associates in Colorado, a random sample of up to 400 employees will be asked to complete the survey. Please see the Applicant Information   page for more details.

All employees should be included in the sample including senior leaders and managers. We make no distinction between union and non-union employees. Union employees must be included in the survey process. Seasonal, temporary, per diem or independent contractor employees should not be included in the survey process. We only survey permanent employees (full-time and part-time).

18.  Our company has employees in many states.  Will the employee survey apply to those who are out of state?

No, only individuals employed in Colorado will be surveyed.

19.  We have more than 250 associates to be surveyed.  Who decides which employees will receive the survey and how they are distributed? Do we have to give you a list of who is being surveyed?

The Survey Coordinator (primary contact) at each company will perform the random selection. There is no requirement to submit the names of those who were selected; however, we will ask for a detailed description of your random selection process to ensure there is no bias. If you need assistance creating a random sample please contact ModernThink at coloradobest@modernthink.com or 1-888-684-4658.

20.  What if we want to survey more employees than the required random sample?

Based on requests from applicants in previous years, ModernThink has provided the opportunity to survey additional employees beyond the required random sample. There is an additional fee for this option. If you are interested in expanding the survey audience, please contact Keith Barber ModernThink at kbarber@modernthink.com  or 1-888-684-4658 ext. 117

21.  How does the online survey process work?

For the online survey, companies submit a list of employee email addresses. Employees are then sent an email invitation directly from ModernThink. The invitation includes a link to the online survey along with unique access information. The link directs employees to the online survey where they submit their confidential responses. We can only send email invitations to company email accounts. It is the responsibility of each company to supply accurate, up-to-date email addresses.

22.  Not all of our employees have email addresses.  Can we still utilize the online survey?

Yes! The online survey can still be utilized as long as employees without company email addresses are able to access the Internet at work. In such a case, ModernThink will provide your organization with unique access codes for employees without email addresses so that they can complete the online survey. In this scenario, the company may need to set up a computer station/kiosk. The online survey can only be used if employees have Internet access.

23.  How does the paper survey process work?

ModernThink will send your company an exact number of paper surveys and envelopes that must be distributed to employees.The return envelopes are not postage-paid. Employees complete the survey, place it in the envelope, seal it and then drop the completed survey off at the designated collection post. Completed surveys are then collected, consolidated and shipped (Federal Express/UPS) by your project coordinator to ModernThink’s processing facility. 

24.  Is there a minimum response rate?

While a 100% response rate is not necessary, we would like to see as high of a response rate as possible. The average response rate last year was approximately 65%. While companies who have not reached 65% may still be considered, response rates are taken into account during the analysis process. The higher the response rate the more representative it will be of your company as a whole and the more valuable your company’s data will be at the end of the process.

Companies in the "small-sized" category (25-99 employees) must have an 80% (or better) response rate to be eligible for recognition.

25.  How does our company ensure an adequate response rate?

The key to a strong response rate is proactive communication. We will work with you to make sure that employees receive the necessary communication, both prior to and during the survey, to ensure adequate response rates. Sample letters will be provided by ModernThink. Please send copies of all communications sent to employees regarding the survey process to coloradobest@modernthink.com see timeline for deadlines.

26.  How does ModernThink protect the confidentiality of the survey data?

At ModernThink, we go to great lengths to ensure the anonymity of your employees' survey responses. For example, we only report data back to organizations when there are five or more participants in a particular demographic category. 

ModernThink destroys all e-mail lists after the survey process. At no point do we solicit employees from these e-mail lists nor do we sell or share these email lists with anyone. Your designated survey coordinator will be kept in our Program Administration database so that we have contact information for program participants. Please see our Statement of Confidentiality below.

STATEMENT OF CONFIDENTIALITY

The program partners, the SHRM Colorado State Council (COSHRM) and ModernThink LLC, respect your privacy and actively protect the confidentiality of the data collected at both the organization and individual level.

Company Data

Through the survey and research process, ModernThink will be collecting, analyzing, and evaluating organization data and other sensitive information.  ModernThink LLC, the party most directly responsible for gathering and storing the data, has satisfied the US-European Union data protection “Safe Harbor” requirements.  It has also received the Better Business Bureau’s Online Reliability Seal. 

ModernThink and COSHRM protect your company data in a variety of ways:

 1) Data is collected and maintained on a secure server

 2) Data will not be released, sold or traded to any unauthorized third party 

 3) Data is shared internally with employees and/or contractors only on a need to know basis

 4) Vendors, contractors and/or other agents who work with and/or process any parts of the data are advised of the importance of maintaining confidentiality and are required to sign Non-Disclosure Agreements

 5) Company-specific employee survey scores will not be released without your permission; data from your company may be combined with data from other companies and then reported back in aggregate form

 6) Information regarding a company’s participation will not be released, unless it is already public information (e.g., publication of the recognized companies). COSHRM or ModernThink LLC may, however, release the registration list in any given year to other authorized media partners and/or list sponsors.  If doing so, they will ensure that any recipient of the registration list signs a Non-Disclosure Agreement expressly limiting use of that list to authorized activities in connection with the Best Companies to Work for in Colorado program. 

Notwithstanding the above, your company’s data will be added to ModernThink’s national database of statistics and best practices to further ModernThink’s research of employee/employer relationships and workplace dynamics.  Some company-specific information (such as best practices) may be published or otherwise used by COSHRM and ModernThink to cite workplace excellence.  Any such information used in a public forum will be favorable in nature and will only reflect positively on your company.

Individual Data

 Several measures are in place to protect individual survey responses and any personal data that is collected.

 1) Self-identifying demographic questions at the end of the survey are strictly voluntary.  If a survey-taker chooses to provide that information for any reason, ModernThink and COSHRM accept that act as explicit consent to use the information in the ways described in this Statement of Confidentiality or as described at the point where they so choose to disclose. 

2) Employers are never given access to individual survey records.

3) Survey results within any demographic group are not reported back unless there are at least five completed surveys received in that particular demographic group.

4) At the end of the survey, employees are given an opportunity to respond to open-ended questions in their own words.  They are advised at that time that their employer will receive a verbatim transcript of all comments.  They are further advised that if they wish to remain anonymous, they should refrain from writing their name and/or any other identifying characteristics in their comments.

if you have any questions about this Statement of Confidentiality, please call Kristina Naton at ModernThink.  Kristina can be reached at 1-888-684-4658 ext. 104.

27.  What reports do we receive for participating in the program and when will we receive them?

The Participation Report Package will include spreadsheets detailing and summarizing your employees' responses to the sixty-five (65) survey statements. It will also include detailed instructions on how to interpret the results. Companies will also receive the responses from the two open-ended questions on the survey.  These comments will be transcribed exactly as submitted by employees. State benchmarking is also included so companies can compare themselves to the "Best Companies to Work for in Colorado". If you participated last year you will also receive your benchmark information from last year for comparison purposes. These reports will be mailed to each company shortly after the companies are notified whether or not they will be recognized. 

To see samples of the various reports see the Participation Reports Page.

28.  What other reports and services are available?

Other feedback reports will be available at an additional cost, including the opportunity to schedule an onsite consultation with a ModernThink workplace expert to review your institution’s results. More information as well as samples can be found on Additional Reports and Services.

29.  Who can I contact with additional questions about the program and survey process?

Kristina Naton at knaton@modernthink.com or 1-888-684-4658 x 104 or Donna Sacher at dsacher@modernthink.com  or 1-888-684-4658 ext. 101

Recognition

30.  When will we find out if our company made the list and where we rank?

You will receive a notification letter whether or not you made the list in early June 2010.  If you made the list, you will find out where you rank either at the gala awards event or in the special publication.

31.  Are all participating companies ranked in the final list?

No.  The number of companies recognized is largely a function of the strength of the candidate pool. In addition, there is minimum criteria that must be met in order to be recognized. This is a competitive program and ultimately an exclusive list. 

32.  How will participating companies be recognized?

ModernThink will rank companies in three categories based on company size:

• Best Companies to Work For Small companies (25-99 employees)
• Best Companies to Work For Medium Companies (100-249 employees)
• Best Companies to Work For Large Companies (250 employees or more)

Final rankings will be announced at the awards gala scheduled for July 30, 2010.  Additionally, the "Best Companies to Work for in Colorado” results and rankings will be published in the August edition of the ColoradoBizMagazine.

33. How do we become a sponsor for this program?

Sponsorship packages are available for the awards gala, educational workshops and finalist reception.  If you would like more information, please see the 2010 Sponsorship Opportunities